EV/Lithium

...wow, if sodium-ion battery isn't relevant to EV, what to make from this $1.4B investment?

...for this reason, we don't really know the long term future of lithium- its entrenched assumption that it would energise the EV revolution on its own could be significantly tested in the future. Every lithium miner raising capital on this presumption could be slightly presumptive- in 5 years a lot can change in the EV battery space.
Natron Energy plans $1.4B sodium-ion battery gigafactory in North Carolina

16 August 2024

Natron Energy, a developer of sodium-ion battery technology, announced plans to build the first sodium-ion battery gigafactory in the United States. The facility will be located in Edgecombe County, NC, and is expected to produce 24GW of Natron’s sodium-ion batteries annually at full capacity.

Natron’s sodium-ion batteries offer higher power density, more cycles, a domestic USsupply chain, and unique safety characteristics over other battery technologies.

The nearly 1.2 million sq. ft. facility, located at the 437-acre Kingsboro megasite, will represent a total investment of nearly $1.4 billion from Natron Energy, facilitated in part by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee.

The Edgecombe County facility will enable a 40x scale-up of Natron’s current production capacity, accelerating the company’s technology commercialization while supporting more than 1,000 high-quality, local clean energy jobs at full operating capacity.

Natron’s batteries are the only UL-listed sodium-ion batteries on the market today, and will be delivered to a wide range of customer end markets in the industrial power space, including data centers, mobility, EV fast charging, microgrids, and telecom, among others.

Over the course of the 12-year term of the JDIG grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $3.4 billion. The JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $21,747,000, spread over 12 years.

Natron and the state also anticipate additional support being provided for the project through the first use of the North Carolina Megasite Readiness Program, a new state grant program open to local governments and designed to provide funds to help prepare or upgrade qualifying industrial sites to the competitive level required in today’s economic development marketplace.

Grants from the Megasite Readiness Program are awarded to local governments and must be approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee, the same body that approves JDIG awards. The state expects Edgecombe County will apply for a $30 million grant from the fund.

Like traditional lithium-ion and lead acid batteries, Natron battery cells have a cathode, anode, and a porous separator between the two electrodes, along with a paste-like, non-aqueous electrolyte that enables ions to pass back and forth between the electrodes.

The atoms in Prussian blue particles are arranged in large, cubic cages with pores between them. Since the pores in Prussian blue are larger than sodium ions, they are able to absorb and release those ions rapidly in the intercalation process. This rapid intercalation is the key benefit of Natron’s sodium-ion battery technology and sets it apart from other conventional storage materials found in lithium-ion and lead acid cells.

Source: Natron
The Prussian blue structure also does not expand and contract as it charges and discharges sodium ions. This “zero strain” mechanism means greater chemical stability and less particle degradation that limits cycle life in other batteries.
Natron’s patented Prussian blue electrodes store and transfer sodium-ions faster, and with lower internal resistance than any other commercial battery on the market today. The company’s battery chemistry presents zero strain during charging and discharge, 10x faster cycling than traditional lithium-ion batteries, and 50,000+ cycle life.

Natron’s supply chain requires zero lithium, cobalt, nickel, or other difficult-to-obtain minerals. Made from commodity materials including aluminum, iron, manganese, and sodium electrolyte, Natron’s cells, modules, and battery represent an environmentally and socially responsible alternative to lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries, the company says.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce coordinated the state’s recruitment of Natron Energy, which also involved several state, regional, and local organizations.